Patrick Swayze RIP

Listened to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack over the weekend... (Had no clue what would happen on the coming Monday)
This is the 2-disc collector's edition issued in 1999. The original soundtrack didn't include the 2nd song featured in the film - Big Girls Don't Cry. The music/film company then released another soundtrack, probably called More Dirty Dancing or something like that.
So the 1st disc is the original soundtrack (which I listened to many times during uni - thanx Daphne!) and the 2nd disc includes the music featured in several of the film scenes, including Kellerman's Anthem.
I bought the above 2-disc soundtrack in Taiwan in 2000/2001. Bought alot of CDs back then, especially non-current releases (ie. old/past albums).

Watched the opening credits of Ghost in June on British TV. Reminded me of the time I watched it in the cinema accidentally. My 2 friends & I actually wanted to watch Problem Child but we ended up watching Ghost instead - can you imagine? From a comedy about a kid to an adult drama about murder & supernatural spirits? When I saw the credits in June, I realised how creepy the credits were (well, the film title is Ghost after all), my friends and I must have literally jumped out of our seats in the dark cinema when the word GHOST appeared onscreen, due to the sheer scariness and being caught off guard since we were expecting Problem Child.

Have just watched 東邪西毒：終極版 aka Ashes of Time Redux on DVD recently.
I never realised that my favourite film of all time 重慶森林 Chungking Express was actually a by-product of the former film. The director decided to make Chungking Express while he was taking a break from editing 東邪西毒. So 重慶森林 arised from Ashes of Time :)
Twas a poignant experience cos the lead actor was Leslie Cheung 張國榮 who has also passed away like Patrick Swayze. His year of death was the same as my mother's.

東邪西毒 & 重慶森林 were the last films that Brigitte Lin 林青霞 appeared in. She retired after that.
Faye Wong 王菲 (Chungking Express) has also retired. Both Brigitte Lin & Faye Wong married and started families.
Maggie Cheung 張曼玉 (Special appearance in Ashes of Time Redux) has also retired from films. (though she's not married)
I miss watching these iconic actresses on the big screen, especially in the traditionally male-dominated film industry.

Audrey Tautou: 10 Films

Amelie aka Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain
I knew I'd like this film when I first heard of it, even before I watched it. And boy, did I have to wait a long long time before I could watch it.
This whimisical film regularly gets on many best-of film lists and is usually the only one among the other top films to feature a female lead - ie. the rose among the thorns. So Amelie is like a breath of fresh air among the heavily male-&-Hollywood-dominated film industry.


A la folie... pas du tout - He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not
L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can
Amelie's - oops, I mean Audrey's next film. After watching Amelie, you'll definitely want to watch Audrey Tautou in other films.


L'auberge espagnole (The Spanish Apartment)
Ah, a multi-national romantic comedy...
I just watched Romain Duris in De battre mon coeur s'est arrete (The beat that my heart skipped). I haven't watched the sequel to The Spanish Apartment though.


Dirty Pretty Things
Audrey speaks English - after all the film is set in London.
She's acting as an illegal immigrant from Turkey.
Watched it alone in a dirty cinema on Beach Road 1 month after returning from London.


Pas sur la bouche aka Not On The Lips
A period musical - Amelie Audrey sings!
1st time I watched an Audrey Tautou film with another person (Carolyn, at Alliance Francaise)


Un long dimanche de fiancailles - A Very Long Engagement
Jodie Foster speaks French!
Watched this on DVD.


The Da Vinci Code
I read the book before watching the films so there was no way I could imagine Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu cos Sophie is a redhead.
Another Audrey Tautou film I watched at cinema with Carolyn (and husband)


Hors de prix - Priceless
Set in The French Riveria - Nice & Monte Carlo, so the location looks gorgeous. Ditto for the various outfits Audrey wears in the film.
Watched this with Arlina & Chunyu - but we didn't sit together cos there weren't 3 seats together available before the 1st 2 rows.

Ensemble, c'est tout (Hunting & Gathering)
Can't seem to see the connection between the original French title and the English title.
The French title is certainly more appropriate as the film really does consist of a ensemble of characters. Besides the leading couple (Audrey Tautou's Camille and the dishy Guillaume Canet - Marion Cotillard is so lucky!), the male lead's grandmother and his flatmate also play important roles in the film.

Coco Avant Chanel
Watched this last night by myself (SFS members' screening).
Just so that I could notch up 10 films starring Audrey Tautou :)

http://audrey-tautou.org/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0851582/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Tautou

Cup of tea

Hmmm, but which one to drink?



How about something to accompany that cup of tea?

http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/

Memories: By Bicycle

Summer 1999

On her 1st trial ride, Ek Jane fell - lesson learnt: do not brake when going down a slope which is also curving. She still has the keloid scar on her right knee to show for it.
Mike, the bike shop owner said, "That's the first time someone has fallen off their bike before buying it."

The right side of the seat was slightly torn but Ek Jane was too embarrassed from her fall to say that she wanted a new one, instead she said, "I'll take the bike."
As the years passed, the tear increased - last year when Ek Jane serviced the bike, the shop owner/mechanic asked if she wanted to get a new seat.

Summer 2000

1st nite ride! Also first time bike was strapped to the back of car to travel to East Coast Park.
From East Coast Park, to Changi Village - for supper.
At Tampines around midnight, then Geylang where it rained very heavily.
Via Nicoll Highway to the city centre.
Had to go back to East Coast Park cos everyone else had rented their bikes there.

2001/2002

Can't remember when this was but went to the western most point of East Coast Park, then past alot of dirt roads before reaching the coast opposite the city. As this was late afternoon, the sun was shining into our eyes so any pictures of the cityscape would not have turned out well.
This route is supposedly closed now. The view from the coast now would be Marina Barrage, Ek Jane thinks.

(Here're 2 pictures taken then)

Can't remember when the ride in Sentosa was. This was when the admission cost about $4. That 1st upward slope upon entry is really steep! Twas nice & quiet on the beach. (This was early morning, before 11am)

May 2003

1st time on Pulau Ubin. Got sprayed with sea water on the ferry to & fro. Became very rusty after that. Ek Jane never put the two together until way after sending bike for servicing to clean up the rust.

2008

Some memorable rides last year:
1) Farrer Road, Queensway, Alexandra Road, Pasir Panjang Road, Clementi Road, Dunearn Road
2) Bukit Timah Road (Hwa Chong), Upper Bukit Timah Road, Woodlands Road, Mandai Road, Mandai Reservoir, Upper Thomson Road, Lornie Road, Bukit Timah Road
3) Changi Village to East Coast Park & back, using Park Connector
4) Farrer Road, Adam Road, Lornie Road, Upper Thomson Road, Yio Chu Kang Road, Upper Serangoon Road, Bendemeer Road, Jalan Besar, Dunearn Road

Last ride (with 2 other bicycles)

Cycled to Vivocity to meet.
Telok Blangah Road, Pasir Panjang Road, West Coast Highway, West Coast Park, Pandan Reservoir.

Olive Oil Scones

Took these pictures almost 2 years ago - finally posting them now...



Ingredients:



200g self-raising flour


1/2 tsp baking powder

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl.

I add a couple handfuls of raisins.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.

1 medium egg,

beaten

75ml milk

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Pour in the oil,

egg and milk

in the middle of the well.

Mix everything quickly together. Do not beat.

Here is the mixture.

Lightly oil a baking tray.

Drop spoonfuls of the mixture on the baking tray.

Preheat oven 220C.

Bake in oven for 12-14 minutes

until golden brown and cooked through.

"Shiny"

Didn't realise that my previous post was actually a direct rip-off of another blog post :P

http://www.empireonline.com/empireblog/Post.asp?id=469

Realised this last month when I watched Firefly on DVD. I didn't read the above blog post in March but immediately went searching for it after watching some episodes of the show.

Before watching Firefly, I only knew Nathan Fillion from his role in Waitress - yummy! One certainly wouldn't mind being pregnant all the time if your handsome gynaecologist made out with you ;)

Enjoyed watching Keri Russell's performance as the eponymous character in the film. The supporting characters were good as well (there's an Ocean's 11 connection! - Eddie Jemison aka Livingston Dell), Jenna's (Russell) 2 colleagues/girl friends, her boss, her regular customer, her monster of a husband and the many pies she makes.

Waitress was written and directed by Adrienne Shelly who unfortunately was killed by a robber at her apartment. The song at the end of the film Baby Don't You Cry (The Pie Song) was also written by Shelly.

G E O R G E C L O O N E Y

Happy Birthday George!

I think I've watched a couple episodes of ER - certainly would have liked to watch Dr. Doug Ross in the closing episodes recently. I'll be looking soon if I can watch the early seasons of ER when he was a regular.

Have not watched:
The Perfect Storm - This film probably came out during the period when I was at my most anti-blockbuster state of mind. I wouldn't mind watching it, I guess.
From Dusk till Dawn - Not a fan of Action Horror Thriller films. I'll probably turn off the sound during the scary bits if I watch it.
The Thin Red Line - Just read that John Cusack was in the film too... I'll put it on my shortlist of films to watch, then ;)
The Peacemaker - Another over-hyped studio film. At least it leads to Out of Sight

When I thought about Batman & Robin recently (grimace) I recall the moment I was watching it in the cinema when Bruce Wayne appeared with his girlfriend - with no back story... I felt indignant and let down. This film had lost the essence of Batman (Certainly a film which helped contribute to my anti-blockbuster stance)

In my all-time favourite George Clooney film Out of Sight, you get to see another Batman on screen - Michael Keaton.
I thought Out of Sight was superb, despite there not being a conventional happy ending (ie. guy & girl get together) I really enjoyed the chemistry between the 2 leads.
When I first watched Out of Sight, I had seen Ving Rhames, Steve Zahn and Luis Guzman before. I've never managed to link Don Cheadle's character here with Basher in Ocean's Eleven.

When I read Elmore Leonard's novel after watching the film, I was amazed by how the film had captured the feeling of the book, or at least my interpretation. Jack Foley was a much older man in the book, but having already watched the film, George Clooney was Jack Foley - in my mind.

I've watched the film and read the book several times over now. I marvel at the cinematography, music score and editing in the film every time. Out of Sight led to Ocean's Eleven, without a doubt. (in my opinion)

George Clooney is Daniel Ocean :)

Reika's cousins

藍花 (あいか) ちゃん

Aika is in 1st grade. She can ride a unicycle :)

慶吾(けいご)くん

Keigo is 9 (or 10?) years old. He cooks delicious egg omelettes - yum!

雛祭り Hina-matsuri (Girls' Day)

Today is Hina-matsuri （ひなまつり） in Japan.

On Sunday I went for an early Hina-matsuri party at Kyoko's friend's house. There were many little girls.

Here's a picture of the dolls that were there. Tis very similar to the website http://www.google.co.jp/ that has been customised specially today :)

玲佳ちゃん話す (Reika-chan says)

"Yesterday I was 100 days old! My mother says that in Japan, the oldest lady in the family is supposed to pretend to feed me food. This is to symbolise that I'll never go hungry.

"You're also supposed to 'feed' me stones... Usually, the custom is to touch 3 stones to my lips."

Kyoko also cooked many special dishes for dinner last nite - including fish and red bean rice 赤飯. I regret missing all that yummy food...

I luv both Nemo and Ponyo!

I watched Ponyo on the cliff by the sea last night. When I saw the jellyfish early in the beginning of the film, I immediately thought of Finding Nemo.

Both are animated films featuring the sea. Both films have a father character reluctant to let their offspring go.

In Finding Nemo, Marlin says that he promised he'd never let anything happen to his son Nemo. When Dory hears that, she disagrees with him because then that nothing would ever happen to him and he wouldn't have any fun.

After watching the Finding Nemo DVD, I know that animation of water and underwater scenes is no mean feat. The Pixar guys literally immersed themselves in their work with visits to aquariums and diving trips for "research".

I really enjoyed the music and animation in Ponyo, apparently Miyazaki hand-drew many images himself. The film score enhanced the various scenarios and I can hum the opening bars of the song played during the end credits.

Ponyo's father Fujimoto does not want Ponyo to become human as she will lose her magical powers and risk becoming sea foam if Sosuke's love for her is not true.

I loved Miyazaki's allusion to Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid story. (I'm definitely going to be re-reading Anderson's stories sometime soon)

Miyazaki's depiction of Ponyo is distinctly different from the Western stereotype of a mermaid. The film has a happy ending unlike the The Little Mermaid which ends in tragedy.

Ponyo looked so cute turning somersaults in Sosuke's pail, I only wished she was not stuck in the pail and had more space to swim in.

I couldn't help being struck by the irony of hordes of people who began buying clownfish to rear as pets after watching Finding Nemo, despite the negative portrayal of fish as pets in the film.